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Architects: Simon Moosbrugger Architekt
- Area: 2400 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Simon Oberhofer
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Manufacturers: Stora Enso
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Lead Architect: Simon Moosbrugger
Introduction - The Rüscher family's carpentry business, which had been growing for several generations, reached its limits. The aging building structure could no longer guarantee an economical production process. With the increasing industrialization in the craft sector, it is no longer just small hand-held or stationary machines that are in use today. While stables and garages used to be able to be converted into workshops, today the requirements for a "workroom" are extremely complex. In addition to strict requirements for fire protection, accident prevention and hygiene, the most important thing is to give the increasingly complex production processes the space they need.
With the new building of the Rüscher carpentry workshop in the small Bregenzerwald community of Schnepfau, all requirements were combined under one roof and a high-quality and spatially flexible workplace was created for future generations. In addition to areas for storage, production, administration and areas for employees, the spatial program is expanded to include an exhibition room that serves as a stage for selected exhibits and is generously presented as a communicator to the outside world.
Project - The new building is confidently positioned on the green area in front of the town, which extends along the entire length of the mighty Kanisfluh. Thanks to the clarity of the finely structured wooden façade and the economical height development, the building absorbs the essential characteristics of the location and is thus able to integrate into the structural fabric of the village. The facade openings are precisely placed and generate varied panoramas of the mountain landscape for the users. The production hall is also equipped with roof glazing, which enables extremely uniform and glare-free lighting. All material and passenger traffic is clearly handled via the eastern facade, which meant that the remaining sides of the building could be designed free of logistical requirements. While the machine hall and the crafts area were designed to be extra high (two-story height) for reasons of long-term flexibility and clarity within the building, the northern part of the building has two floors with the surface workshop on the ground floor and the office, employee and customer rooms on the upper floor.
The open structure around the inner courtyard on the upper floor offers an overview for both customers and employees and guarantees the best lighting conditions and the highest quality of stay. While the exhibition space opens to the north towards the town center, the office spaces face the interior of the building for production. The use of trusses made of beech wood opens up unrestricted views of both the wooden structure of the workshop and the varied landscape of the rear Bregenzerwald.
